Beyond Plans, expert in Anaplan projects within SAP environments, breaks down the tangible benefits of the new Anaplan Adapter for SAP Integration Suite.
In the vast majority of Anaplan projects supported by Beyond Plans, SAP systems play a central role: ERP, finance, supply chain… all operational and transactional data flows through them. Until recently, connecting this data to the Anaplan planning platform required significant integration efforts, custom developments, or the use of complex ETL tools.
This is exactly the kind of friction that SAP and Anaplan aim to eliminate with the official release of the Anaplan Adapter for SAP Integration Suite, now available to all customers holding a SAP Integration Suite license. A major step forward that could significantly transform how companies connect operational systems with planning processes.
Integration Designed for Efficiency
The announcement is clear: this adapter now enables a seamless, secure, and native integration between Anaplan and SAP environments via the SAP Integration Suite (formerly SAP CPI). The goal: simplify workflow orchestration, reduce integration costs, and enhance planning responsiveness.
With this adapter, companies can now:
- Connect SAP transactional data (finance, sales, inventory, etc.) to Anaplan without custom technical interfaces;
- Automate file transfers and trigger actions in Anaplan via preconfigured API calls;
- Standardize integration with other third-party applications, leveraging the broad compatibility of SAP Integration Suite connectors.
“This release confirms a broader trend: Anaplan is opening up to clients’ application ecosystems, enabling seamless interconnection without compromising on security or performance,” says Mehdi Ben Salah, co-founder of Beyond Plans.
What the Anaplan Adapter Actually Enables
The connector acts as a receiver adapter within the SAP Integration Suite, meaning SAP initiates the requests to Anaplan. Once authentication is configured (via Basic Auth or OAuth2), the adapter enables a wide range of operations, including:
- Uploading and importing files into Anaplan in a single request, with support for chunked uploads up to 50 MB;
- Exporting and downloading data from Anaplan models;
- Remotely launching Anaplan actions (imports, exports, processes) and tracking their progress (using parameters such as “Wait until completed,” “Retry interval,” etc.);
- Dynamically managing headers, payload formats (JSON, XML, TEXT), and target resources (Model ID, Workspace ID, etc.).
These features are fully configurable via the SAP Integration Suite graphical interface, require no specific development, and rely on the Anaplan REST API.
Time Savings and Increased Reliability for Projects
Beyond the technical capabilities, the key benefit of this new adapter lies in the time saved during implementation.
Until now, many projects required:
- Manual or semi-automated file exports from SAP, followed by processing in Anaplan;
- Custom connector developments (using Java, Python, or MuleSoft);
- Complex coordination between IT and business teams to manage action triggers.
With this adapter, these constraints are significantly reduced. Anaplan x SAP integration can now run through standardized, secure flows managed from a single platform.
“It allows our clients to focus on what matters most: the reliability of data within Anaplan models and the relevance of planning scenarios, rather than technical plumbing,” emphasizes Ala Eddine Chkir, co-founder of Beyond Plans.
Beyond Plans’ Take
At Beyond Plans, we welcome this release with enthusiasm. We’ve already integrated Anaplan with various SAP environments (S/4HANA, BW, ECC) using alternative methods. This new adapter will clearly accelerate our deployments for multi-system projects, especially in:
- Budget planning projects, where SAP accounting data granularity is critical;
- S&OP and supply chain models, which require frequent synchronization of inventory, forecasts, and historicals;
- Month-end closing scenarios, where fast and reliable data exchange with SAP is essential.
The adapter is now available via the SAP Business Accelerator Hub. It is fully integrated into existing SAP integration packages, at no additional cost, provided the client has an SAP Integration Suite license.
FAQ
▶️ Is the adapter compatible with all Anaplan versions?
Yes, it supports Anaplan’s v2.0 API, which covers the vast majority of current use cases.
▶️ Can I manage multiple Anaplan models from SAP?
Yes. You just need to configure the Workspace ID and Model ID parameters for each interaction.
▶️ Is the integration unidirectional?
Yes, the adapter works from SAP → Anaplan. For data flows in the opposite direction, you will need to use other mechanisms such as scheduled exports or Anaplan APIs on the client side.
▶️ Do I need a partner to implement it?
The setup is accessible, but working with an Anaplan-certified partner like Beyond Plans helps optimize data flows, secure configurations, and accelerate implementation.
